What Gets Lost in Translation
Never forget that every translation is an interpretation.
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It’s easy to forget when reading the Bible in English that you’re not dealing with the Holy Scriptures as they were originally written. As you get comfortable with a particular translation, you begin to treat it as more than a translation. You see it as the original inspired text. But this overlooks two important facts: First, things get lost in translation, and, second, every translation is an interpretation of the original Greek or Hebrew text.
As anyone who has studied a foreign language knows, there are often words in the original, “sender” language that do not translate easily into the “receiver” language. Some foreign words have no English equivalent at all. And certain idiomatic phrases make no sense whatsoever when translated literally. For instance, if I translate the English idiomatic phrase “He has an ax to grind” into German, my Berlin friends might wonder if I am talking about a lumberjack!
The same sorts of problems arise when we attempt to translate Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic words and phrases into English. Not infrequently translators have to make judgment calls about which of the possible meanings of a word is most appropriate in a particular context. For example, the term dikaiosune, which has an important history for Protestant exegesis, can be translated as “justification” or “justice” or “righteousness.” Many translators choose to translate this Greek word as “righteousness” in Romans 3:25, where it describes God, even though its cognate term is usually translated “justification” in Romans 4:25: “Jesus…was raised for our justification.”
In making these judgment calls, most translators tend to be very conservative. They follow the examples of previous influential translations. The power of these previous translations can be great. Translators have at times been known to rely more heavily on these earlier translations than on the original text. Consider Hebrews 12:2, which presents Jesus as an example to all Christians. Jesus, in virtually all translations since Luther’s, is described as “the pioneer and protector of our faith.” Now, no Greek manuscript suggests that we should insert the word “our” into the text here, and there are good reasons not to do so. The opening verses of Hebrews 12 are in fact the climax of Hebrews 11, the so-called Hall of Faith chapter, which lists the faithful men and women of history, from Abraham through the prophets. Hebrews 12:1–2 presents Jesus as the ultimate example of faithful living. Jesus Christ is the trailblazer, the pioneer and perfector of the faithful life. In short, this text is about Jesus as a model of faith for us; it does not refer to our faith. Nevertheless, because of the weight of translating tradition, such influential translations as the New Revised Standard Version continue to mistranslate the phrase as “our faith.”
One more example of the importance of recognizing that translations are already interpretations, even if they involve literal renderings from one language to another, is found in Philippians 4:13. A literal translation would not read “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me” but rather “I have strength through the One who strengthens me for all things (or everything).” What is the difference between these translations?
In the previous verse (4:12), Paul says that he has learned how to live in plenty and in want, to live with and without; he has learned how to endure all kinds of circumstances. The second translation offered above of Philippians 4:13 better suits this context. This verse does not suggest that one can do anything so long as one relies on God’s strength. It is not a call to superman Christianity. Rather, it suggests that God can give us strength to endure any and all of the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.
Translators are not inspired authors; they make honest mistakes. This is just as true of the translators of the King James Version as of any modern version. Serious students of the Bible, especially those who cannot read the text in its original languages, will not want to become too dependent on any one translation. Those who are limited to English translations should try to consult several good modern renditions and compare and contrast their interpretations of a particular verse. I recommend the New International Version (NIV), the New Living Translation and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). (For more tips on choosing a translation, see my handy chart on the Keep Reading section of BR’s Web page: www.biblereview.org.) If you are looking for a useful parallel-column New Testament, I can commend the one published by Zondervan Press (edited by John Kohlenberger III), which includes the Greek text, the NIV and the NRSV in parallel columns. Also, always have at hand a couple good commentaries on the book you are studying, such as Eerdmans’s Greek New Testament Commentary Series or their Socio-Rhetorical Series, Doubleday’s Anchor Bible Series or the Hermeneia Series published by Fortress Press. This way, you can make your own judgment about what the original text meant, without having to depend on any one translator. Perhaps this way, less will get lost in translation.
It’s easy to forget when reading the Bible in English that you’re not dealing with the Holy Scriptures as they were originally written. As you get comfortable with a particular translation, you begin to treat it as more than a translation. You see it as the original inspired text. But this overlooks two important facts: First, things get lost in translation, and, second, every translation is an interpretation of the original Greek or Hebrew text. As anyone who has studied a foreign language knows, there are often words in the original, “sender” language that do not translate easily into […]
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